Day By Day: 30 Moments With Roronoa Zoro
by IzumiTheMoogle
Summary: Written for the 30 onepiece Set 2 challenge on LJ. 30 one-shots centered around everyone's favorite pirate swordsman! Ratings and genres will vary, though it'll mostly be nakamaship. Ch. 8 - Witch. "Get better, damn witch..."
1. Reminiscing

**Title: **Reminiscing

**Theme: **Set 2 - #1: 100

**Claim: **Zoro

**Words: **824

**Rating: **PG-13 to be safe… Nothing too bad, just a few curses from Zoro. (Because he's a very cussy fellow XP)

**Warnings: **… Nakamaship? It's not really a warning at all, but I just kinda wanted to mention that it's the general theme of this ficlet. ^^'

**Disclaimer: **I do not now, nor will I ever, own One Piece. All rights go to the amazing Oda-san.

Zoro leaned back against the mast of the Going Merry with his arms behind his head, in mid-nap. The sun was just beginning to set, and the gentle breeze outside accommodated his perfect nap temperature. (Of course, he could sleep in any conditions, but nights like these were his favorites)

It hadn't been a particularly stressful day. There hadn't been any islands in sight for a day or two, which naturally made some of the crew (mostly Luffy) anxious, but it didn't bother Zoro in the slightest. Sailing all day just meant more training and sleep opportunities for him.

The swordsman was jarred from his sleep when he heard the familiar sound of sandals clapping against the deck, coming closer to him. He didn't open his eyes as the rubber Captain crouched down beside him.

"Hey, Zoro!"

"Hm?"

"Nami just told me something really cool!"

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh! She said that today's our anniversary!"

Zoro opened an eye at the awkward statement, "Excuse me?"

Luffy was smiling happily, not sharing his First Mate's confusion and awkwardness at all, "Yeah! Our 100th anniversary!"

Zoro grunted as he sat up, opening both eyes and glancing at the rubber boy with a cocked brow, "What the hell are you talking about? 100th anniversary for what?"

"For us becoming Nakama!"

Zoro's expression lightened a little, "Huh? You mean since-"

"Since you became the first member of this crew! Today's the 100th day that our crew's been sailing!" The boy's smile grew as a happy laugh came over him, "Pretty cool, huh?"

Zoro looked up at the red sky with a smirk, "Heh. Yeah, I guess so…" He thought for a moment, then looked back down to see Luffy moving from his side to the Special Seat atop the Merry's figurehead. The swordsman shook his head with a chuckle. He had the most random Captain ever, he was sure. He hoisted himself up to his feet then walked over by Luffy, leaning on the railing and staring at the mix of colors in front of them.

"It's really been that long, huh?" He asked.

Luffy nodded, staring out into the glistening horizon as well, "Yup," He suddenly turned to his swordsman with a laugh in his eyes, "Do you remember when we met at that Marine Base?"

"Keh," Zoro scoffed good-humoredly, "How could I forget? You made more of a ruckus than I'm sure anyone else ever had in that town."

Luffy laughed, "Man, it sure was a close call, huh? If I hadn't broken out of that window in time, you and Coby would've been killed!"

Zoro rolled his eyes, "Yeah… I guess we have weird luck like that," He looked thoughtful for a second, "Like back at Little Garden," He smirked, "If you hadn't shown up when you did, I would've cut my legs all the way off."

Luffy laughed harder, "That's right! You did try and cut 'em off, didn't you? Wow, it was a good thing I showed up!"

"It was a good thing Usopp got the idea to set that wax thing on fire too. You weren't exactly making any progress trying to free us."

"That's right; that weird painter chick kept on distracting me! But then you guys were okay, I kicked the wax guy's ass, and Sanji found an Eternal Pose to Alabasta! It all worked out!"

Zoro shook his head, thinking back to the cook just spontaneously pulling an Eternal Pose out of his pocket. He chuckled, "Not to mention the time we somehow escaped from that Marine Base after coming back from Skypiea. Don't know how we pulled that one off."

Luffy rocked back a little as another bout of short laughter took over, "Oh yeah! That was really fun! 'Cept you and Usopp got captured and Sanji and I had to go and get you out."

"Don't know how you did that either. You were surrounded by Marines on both sides."

"But we did!"

Zoro nodded, "Yeah… You did. Like always."

Luffy grinned at the setting sun anxiously, "100 days…"

"With many more to come…" Zoro said quietly, shifting his weight to his right foot. They had all been through so much together, and he found that he'd rather be with no one else than his Nakama; especially his goof of a Captain. People always said that seeing Zoro- a stern and serious man –traveling with Luffy- a carefree idiot –was a little odd. But Zoro never minded the talk.

By his Captain's side is where he started, and by his Captain's side is where he'd stay.

He knew that was how Luffy felt too.

"Hey, Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"Let's take our time traveling the Grand Line. I want to be able to have 100 more adventures to talk about when we reach 200 days," He smiled down at his friend, "That okay with you, First Mate?"

Zoro's smirk stretched into a smile, "Wouldn't have it any other way, Captain."

~OWARI~

…

Oh, the fluff! XP But honestly, I felt good about this as my starter. It gave me warm fuzzies while writing it. Plus, I love the Zoro/Luffy friendship. It's so amazingly awesome! And, for the record, I don't actually know that it was exactly 100 days after the crew became, but for the sake of the story, let's just go with it. XP Oh, and about Luffy's end line… You never hear him actually call Zoro his 'First Mate', but I've always wanted him to... So, there we go! Hope everyone enjoys this!


	2. Swordsman Ala Mode

**Title: **Swordsman Ala Mode.

**Theme: **Set 2 - #2: Explosive

**Claim: **Zoro

**Words: **1921

**Rating: **PG-13 (For Zoro's Orbit-needing mouth)

**Warnings: **Um… N/A?

**Disclaimers: **I don't own One Piece, for crying out loud!

"Whatcha making, Usopp?"

"Nothing... Go away, Luffy."

"Aww! Come on! I just wanna see what you're making!"

"No! Go away! Maybe I'll come and get you when it's finished!"

"… How long will that take?"

"I dunno… A few hours maybe."

"That's too looooong!"

"Umph! Get off, Luffy! That's just how long it's going to take!"

"Why?"

"Actually, I'm missing a really important part of this invention…"

"You are? Well, why don't you just go and buy it? We've been at this island for a day already; it has plenty of stores."

"... Well, that's just it, I… Don't really have any money…"

"Then just borrow some from somebody!"

"Come on, Luffy, you really think I could do that? Besides, Nami would kill me if I asked her for some extra berries…"

"Hm… Hey, Zo-!"

"Don't even think about it!" The swordsman hissed from his spot at the mast, eyes still closed from the nap he was _trying _to have. The moment Usopp started talking about berries, Zoro knew he would be dragged in somehow.

Luffy jutted out his lower lip in a pout for a moment, but then perked up, "Oh, that's right… Zoro never has money," He said thoughtfully.

A vein popped on the man's forehead.

"Do you need money, Captain-san?" Robin's gentle voice carried through the ship as she stepped down the Merry's stairs to the deck, the usual calm smile on her face.

"Nah, its Usopp," Luffy said, "He's testing some new invention thingy and he needs to get something for it in town, but he doesn't have any money."

A drop of sweat appeared on Usopp's face as he set down a vial of some sort in a container, "You don't have to make me sound that desperate…" He mumbled disapprovingly.

Robin's smile widened a little, "I could lend you some money, Nagahana-kun."

Both Usopp and Luffy brightened up, "Really, Robin? You could?" The sniper asked. Robin nodded. Usopp became determined, "I-I don't need that much; and I promise I'll pay you back later!"

Robin giggled a little, "That sounds fine. I'm glad to help."

"Help with what?" Zoro interjected from his spot at the mast, eyes still closed, "All they're going to do is make more noise. And setting them loose in a town like that is a pretty stupid idea."

"Ooh! Zoro! You should come with us!" Luffy suggested ecstatically.

Both of his eyes were open now. _Damn. I've given him an idea, "_What?"

"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Luffy had bounded over to his First Mate and crouched down by him.

"No way," Zoro scowled. They had fought some Marines earlier, so he missed his mid-morning nap. He tried to let his eyes close again, but felt his Captain's pouting/pleading face boring into his skull. He knew he couldn't win now… After a moment, Zoro let out a frustrated breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, "Fine."

"Yosh!" Luffy yelled happily, shooting back up to his feet and being followed (slowly) by his reluctant swordsman.

Soon, after some stretching and grumbling from Zoro and more giggling from Robin, the trio set off into town. This island wasn't quite large, and the town on it was about a third the size of Logue Town, but the Merry was still docked on the outskirts, because the crew (Nami) didn't want to risk being caught by the Marines. Luffy and Zoro's new bounties had been a real pain so far to deal with.

"So, Usopp," Zoro glanced at the sniper as the three reached the top of a hill that would lead straight into town, "What is it that you need to get, anyway?"

"An explosive," Usopp replied bravely.

Luffy looked instantly won over, "Whoa, really? You're going to make another one of those Exploding Star thingies?"

"Kinda," He continued, "But I want to up the ante a little. At the last island, I heard about this great new gunpowder that the Marines are using. It's really flammable. They sell a version of it at weapon stores, and I've wanted to get it."

Luffy looked disappointed, "So it's just gonna be a gunshot-type thing? Aw…" The boy was, personally, hoping for something along the lines of a deafening explosion.

Usopp must have read his mind, "Ah-ah," He wagged his finger at Luffy, a cocky smirk coming across his face, "But you didn't hear the rest of my plan. You see, I'm going to put oil in with the gunpowder-"

"Wait, wouldn't that just-?" Zoro started.

"A _fixed _amount of oil," Usopp quickly defended, "That way, when I use it, the force of my slingshot will be enough to make the contents mix together, and then BOOM! It's bye-bye to any enemy who dares face the Great Captain Usopp!"

"Oooh!" The way Luffy's lips were puckered made him look like a fish, "That's so cool!"

Zoro opened his mouth to say something, but then just settled for rolling his eyes. Saying anything now wouldn't make either of them change their much made up minds about this, so he decided just to play along.

It didn't take long for them to find the shop that they were looking for once they entered town. It was like Usopp knew exactly where to go, and they didn't get lost once. (Which surprised Zoro and Luffy to a somewhat great extent) Once inside, Usopp began bargaining with the shop owner, and after almost ten minutes of haggling and empty threats only made real by the scary-looking man with the swords pacing impatiently around the room, they emerged from the store with happy cries coming from Usopp and Luffy.

"About damn time," Zoro cursed, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to one leg, "Why the hell did it take so long for that guy to sell the stuff to you?"

"It's a brand new shipment," Usopp stated in between shouts of happiness, "And I don't think we looked like the most trustworthy bunch to him…"

Zoro scoffed, "Why the hell not?"

"_You were the one who intimidated him into giving me the stuff…_" The sniper thought, a drop of sweat rolling down his head, "Wait!" As the three of them began walking to the outskirts of the town, he threw his arms out to halt them.

"What?" Zoro questioned.

Usopp turned to face them, "I want to test it out first before we head back to the Merry," He patted the brown bag at his side, "Just to make sure it works."

"Really? Awesome!" Luffy responded ecstatically, throwing his hands up in the air. He was hoping for an adventure of some sort, and this seemed to pass off as one.

Zoro scowled, "What? We spent for freakin' ever in that shop and then you have to 'test it out' first?"

Usopp gave Zoro an almost pleading look, "I just want to make sure the shopkeeper didn't jip me."

Zoro let some air hiss out between his teeth with a huff, "Fine..."

The three of them wandered off into a field just below the hill that they had to walk over to get to town and Usopp squatted down to the ground, sliding his large brown bag over his shoulders and getting out an assortment of things. Luffy squatted down too, immediately infatuated with whatever it was Usopp was doing.

Zoro stood a reasonable ten feet away, arms crossed and face set in a scowl. He didn't see why he needed to come too. Then again, Luffy probably just brought him on a whim, like he usually did, so there most likely was no legitimate reason… And usually, he didn't really complain about going places with the kid, but…

He _had _been interrupted from a nap.

"Okay! I-I think its re—Hey, Luffy, watch it! Not so close!" The sniper quickly pulled away a round black ball from the face of his Captain, who had a sparkle in his eye that made the long-nosed boy nervous.

"That was fast," Zoro noted dully. He didn't know why, but somehow he'd expected the whole process to take a lot longer.

"Well, this gunpowder was the only thing I needed," Usopp shrugged lightly, being especially careful with his movements now that he had his pride and joy finished, "Now! To test it out…"

"Can I see it first?" Luffy asked ecstatically, the mischievous gleam still in his eyes.

Usopp automatically raised the black ball higher, resorting to shoving his Captain's face away to keep him from potentially screwing things up, "O-oi! I said back off, Luffy!"

"But I wanna see iiiiit!" Luffy whined, flailing his arms around and making Usopp have to try and hold his newest invention out farther. It didn't help that the raven-haired boy's arms could stretch.

"Wait for me to test it!" Usopp's voice was muffled by the body that was squished against his back, trying very hard to grab a hold of his project.

Zoro uncrossed his arms as a feeling of discomfort grew in his chest, "You idiots! Just calm the hell-"

There was stunned silence for a split second as Usopp, trying in vain to get the black ball of destruction away from Luffy, let his sweaty fingers lose their grip on the object. It was sent flying backwards to the only person who was smart enough to stand a good distance away.

Zoro's eyes widened and he just managed to duck his head down enough to avoid having it lit up. The ball filled with quickly mixing gunpowder and oil instead launched down to the ground, instantly exploding once it made contact with the grass.

Zoro immediately jumped back in shock, but not before the huge mass of flames grabbed onto his pants. A horrified expression came upon his face, "SHIT!"

In a frenzied panic, the swordsman's eyes locked onto the expanse of blue sea around them and ran past Luffy and Usopp (who were presently flailing around and screaming), diving into the water shamelessly to put out the lower half of his body that was slowly burning him up.

A minute later, Zoro shot up out of the water, gasping for breath. His legs were still tingling from the previously-present flames, and he was about ready to strangle the life out of two young pirates on shore. However, as he made to swim back up to land, he saw the billowing smoke cloud, smelled the flames, and heard the harried screams of his crewmates.

Oh yeah… There was still a heap of flames on land that was probably going to turn into a forest fire soon…

For a moment, Zoro sat there treading water. He thought about continuing on for a minute before he scoffed in their general direction.

_Screw it._

With a drawn-out sigh, the swordsman leaned all the way back and put his arms behind his head, the sea water swishing comfortably on his back, staring up at the blue sky above him. It really was a nice day… He tuned out the quite audible yelling coming from Luffy and Usopp and just focused on relaxing for a little while. He figured this would be the best way to get revenge on them for what happened. That is, until they got back to the ship.

THEN he would kick their asses.

But right now he just wanted to revel in the contended thoughts of a severely pissed Nami unleashing her wrath on two idiotic boys, perhaps some swimming, and then going back to the ship to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

~OWARI

…

Not _particularly _proud of this ridiculously long one, but it was pretty fun to write! ^^ If the ending was confusing, allow me to explain: Zoro decides that instead of going back on land, he's going to hang out in the water for a little so that he doesn't have to deal with the fire or the pissed Navigator that will undoubtedly notice the giant smoke cloud.


	3. Outwitted

**Title: **Outwitted

**Theme:** Set 2 - #3: Rabbit

**Claim:** Zoro

**Words: **2,416

**Rating**: PG-13

**Warnings:** Violence towards small furry animals and excessive swearing will ensue!

**Disclaimers:** I, once again, do not own One Piece. All rights go to Eichiro Oda-san.

…

This had been their second day without seeing an island. Though that wasn't an especially long time, it certainly felt like it when your food supply couldn't be replenished at the last island because you were run out of town by a rather large group of Marines and your dumb aho-cook didn't have enough 'time' to go out shopping. Now, it wasn't like they were starving or anything. No, they still had enough food, but just barely. They were running out fast.

Not that Zoro minded it. To him, not having enough food just posed a chance for him to do some endurance training. But when you had to live with Luffy whining all day every day about how he was 'starving' and how he didn't get 'enough' to eat and how the snacks Sanji made weren't as 'big' as normal, well… That could easily make one slowly lose their sanity. Zoro almost felt sorry for the cook. Almost.

So, needless to say, when Usopp made the fateful 'Island!' call later that second day, everyone's hopes (even Zoro to an extent) launched up to a record high and the Merry's railing was soon occupied by the whole crew.

Zoro barely had time to throw the anchor down on the island's sandy shores before Luffy had rocketed off of the ship and tore into the forest beyond them screaming cries of food and probably alerting every living thing within thirty miles that they were there. The rest of the crew had already anticipated this of course, and chose to ignore their overexcited Captain. Only Chopper was worried:

"B-But what if he gets lost?" That was a legitimate worry, since Luffy had the second worst navigational skills among them.

Nami looked extremely annoyed, "He'll find his way back someway. But knowing that idiot, he's going to make a huge ruckus somewhere and we're going to have to be the ones to go and find him."

There was a unison group nod of agreement on what she said before Sanji spoke up, "First thing's first. We need to restock our food supply."

Nami nodded, "Sanji-kun's right. Our primary reason for being here in the first place is to restock anyway," She pointed offhandedly to the island behind her and in front of the rest of the crew, "This island, as you can all probably tell, is uninhabited by people. But there should be plenty of animals out there. We'll split up and search the area for ample food sources and then meet back here in a few hours. Is that clear with everyone?"

Another group nod, and soon everyone had gone their separate ways. Nami and Chopper had stayed behind to watch the ship (Chopper was horrified by the idea of hunting), and Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Robin had all split off.

Usopp was pretty sure that he was getting some sort of I'll-get-killed-if-I'm-alone disease, so he tagged along with Robin, who had no problem with it. Naturally, Sanji was absolutely adamant about going along with them to 'protect' Robin. (Zoro could never figure out why he needed to. That woman's favorite tactic in fights was snapping necks, so he figured she could do just fine on her own)

Zoro was perfectly fine with going off by himself, though Sanji at one point asked if it was really a good idea to let the Marimo wander around an uninhabited island by himself. Zoro proceeded to tell him to shut up and stormed off in a direction opposite of theirs, calling back something about finding Luffy along with hunting. And that was that.

"Okay… Now to find something I can kill…" The swordsman muttered to himself after he had been wandering around in the forest for a few minutes. He hadn't seen much yet in the way of food besides some freaky looking giant beetles which he deemed inedible and some birds flying around above him which he deemed a pain in the ass to get to.

After about ten minutes he began to get annoyed, "Is there really nothing to eat in this crappy for-" He stopped in his muttering and quickly moved a hand over to Wadou when he heard a group of rustling bushes to his left.

He stood in a semi-crouched position, staring intently at the bushes for a few seconds before he saw a furry white object slowly move out of them and stare at him curiously. He seemed to relax a little, "Just a rabbit…" He said in little more than a whisper, "_Well, it's not very big, and it is kind of cute, but…Food is food._"

Zoro slowly drew out Wadou, keeping his stance and getting ready to strike at his newfound prey. If he was quick about it, the bunny wouldn't feel any pain, at least. The rabbit's ears perked up as it heard the click of the katana being drawn out and quickly dove back into the bushes.

Zoro looked mildly surprised, "Huh?" He grunted, "Forgot… Rabbits are supposed to be quick, aren't they?" Now it was a little more of a hunt for him. But he wouldn't make the same mistake twice, that was for sure.

With Wadou drawn, the swordsman stepped forward as quietly as he could and peered over the top of the bushes where the rabbit had dived back in. He held his sword up, ready to deliver the finished blow right off the bat. Surprisingly, he only had to wait a few seconds before the little white bunny hopped out of the bushes and looked around, its nose twitching as it smelled its surroundings.

"_Gotcha!" _Zoro swiftly hurled Wadou down like a guillotine, making to strike the animal before it knew what hit it.

However, the rabbit was quicker than him and realized what was happening. It pivoted around and used Zoro's face as a springboard, jumping off of it and landing behind the swordsman, running in his opposite direction. Zoro let out a muffled surprised grunt as the rabbit's large hind feet smashed into his face and, burdened with the weight of his swinging sword, fell to his face in the bushes.

"WHAT THE HELL?" He yelled fiercely as he shot back up to his feet, gripping Wadou tightly and not seeming to notice the small branches and leaves that were now assorted in his hair. He took off after the small white animal with vicious intent, sliding Wadou back into its sheath and taking out Yubashiri. It was obvious he needed to be quicker.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" He growled angrily as he looked around for his prey, "You know, I _was_ gonna make your death painless, but I'm not so sure about that anymore!"

The rabbit suddenly popped its head out of a hole in a tree, its nose twitching away and its eyes batting at the man trying to take its life. Zoro immediately noticed the blob of white against the brown and green around him and started to walk, very slowly, up to the tree where it was currently hiding out.

"_Easy… Easy… Don't run off…_" He thought to himself as he snuck up on the bunny, Yubashiri already in position. He was barely a step away when the mammal came out of the hole all the way, making Zoro freeze where he stood. The thing looked up at him once with large curious eyes and then averted his attention back to an, for some reason, interesting spot beyond the swordsman.

Zoro took that as an opportunity and quickly struck down with Yubashiri, his fastest blade. There was no way the damn thing could—

In the middle of his thoughts, the rabbit took off between his legs, dashing back in the direction that he had come from earlier, "God damn it!" Zoro cursed loudly, drawing Yubashiri back up just as it hit the rabbit-less ground and hurling himself after the thing that was causing an ever-increasing vein to appear on his forehead.

_It's a freaking animal! _

In somewhat of a frenzy, he jumped into the air and threw his katana up when he was nearing the rabbit and threw it back down, meaning to put all of his weight behind the swing. But the rabbit was too quick and rolled out of the way a split second before it would've been cleaved in half. Wait, it ROLLED?

_A god damned BUNNY! _

The rabbit took off in the direction that it rolled, causing Zoro to skid to a halt and twist around, making dirt and grass fly up all around him. This was getting ridiculous! He would not let this furry, white, big-eyed, devious little animal get the better of him! Zoro immediately ran after the animal that was hopping over every bush and rock with speed and ease that he could only curse at. He, himself, ignored most of the bushes and rocks (though they be full of stickers and extremely pointy) that he was positive the freaking bunny was purposely making him go through. The bottoms of his pants were getting torn to shreds, but he didn't care much. He was out for blood.

"Just wait you damned bunny!" He called out after the animal with ferocity, trying to increase his speed to catch up, though he had to admit it was hard, "We'll see who's laughing when I cut you up into a million pieces!"

Suddenly Zoro noticed that there was a break in the trees up ahead, and he had to squint his eyes a little to focus in the now almost blinding sunlight. He also noticed that the rabbit had abruptly jumped and disappeared from sight. Cursing a little more, he wondered briefly if the little monster had somehow managed to get away from him again.

His thoughts didn't last for very long before he felt the absence of ground beneath him. Before he could utter as much as a sound, Zoro looked down and realized that he had just run off of a dropping and was falling down into a large mud puddle. The bunny, he noted, sat pleasantly ten feet away from the puddle, a happy grin on its face.

"OH SHI-!"

_SPLAT! _

Zoro lay facedown in the mud puddle, arms and legs sprawled out and hand still tightly gripping Yubashiri. It took him a few seconds before he lifted his head up, gasping for air and letting the little lights in the corner of his eyes disappear slowly. He blinked back the wet mud in his eyes and just made out the rabbit turning around and hopping away happily, making an odd noise that Zoro had never heard from a bunny before.

The bastard was _laughing_ at him.

He sat there for a moment in defeat, a dark aura still hovering over the mud puddle that he was sure had soaked through his clothes by now. With a painful thought, the swordsman realized that he had no more dignity left.

It hopped itself away gleefully with a laughing demon bunny.

…

"Then I, the great Captain Usopp, took down both tigers single-handedly! The beasts trembled in fright as they witnessed my awesome sniper skills!"

"Really?" Chopper's eyes widened with wonder before Luffy frowned at him and Usopp from the other side of the table.

"Nu-uh! I killed those tigers Usopp!" He pouted.

"Does it matter who killed 'em?" Sanji asked tiredly, chopping up fresh meat for the dinner he had planned. He didn't know if he could stand any of their arguing, "Besides, if we hadn't found you, you would've eaten both of the tigers anyway."

"That's true, I was pretty hungry…" The rubber boy said thoughtfully, rubbing his cheek with a finger. He looked like he realized something, "Is dinner ready yet Sanji?"

"Yeah! I'm starving!" Usopp said.

"In about an hour," Sanji continued at seeing the pouting faces at the table, "You can't rush perfection, guys. Just calm down."

Robin smiled from her spot on the table by Luffy, reading a book that she had taken rather well to. She glanced around once and then asked a question to no one in particular, "Has anyone seen Swordsman-san?"

"Zoro? Nope," Usopp said.

"He has been gone for a while, hasn't he?" Chopper mumbled worriedly.

"Maybe he's still hunting," Luffy suggested.

Sanji scoffed, "He's probably lost, like I said he would be; the idiot."

The door to the galley suddenly opened and Nami stepped in, looking very unsure and casting a confused glance behind her shoulder. Everyone turned to see her, and were all surprised at the look she had on her face.

"Is something bothering you, Nami-swan?" Sanji cooed, "If it's about food, then fear not my prin-"

"Zoro's back," The Navigator interrupted offhandedly.

This seemed to surprise everyone even more, "He's back? When did he get back?" Usopp asked curiously.

"Just now…"

"Did he bring meat with him?" Luffy started to drool involuntarily.

"No…"

This put all in the room into stunned silence. _Zoro _didn't come back with _anything? _

"Was there something wrong with him?" Robin immediately assumed.

"Well…" Nami rubbed the back of her head, "He had all of these cuts and scrapes on him… And it looked like he was covered in dry…" She didn't look too sure of what she was saying, "Mud."

The crew all glanced at each other curiously, "Mud?"

Nami nodded, "Mud. Oh yeah, and he was in a real pissy mood…" She mumbled, looking angry all of a sudden.

"But Zoro's always angry," Luffy said.

"She means angrier than usual, idiot," Sanji rolled his eyes, "Does the Marimo know that dinner's in an hour, Nami-san?" Not that he cared if the swordsman was on time.

"… That's the strangest part, actually…" Nami continued, looking thoughtful, "When I told him about dinner, his face paled two shades lighter than normal. He immediately said he wasn't hungry and ran into the men's quarters."

There was silence for a moment as the crew all looked at each other for answers. None of this really made sense to them, "Is Swordsman-san sick, perhaps?" Robin asked. Chopper immediately started flailing around in a frenzy. Zoro? Sick?

"I don't think so," Nami said, "He only started to not look well when I mentioned dinner…"

Sanji almost looked disgusted, "Well, let that bastard do what he wants. If he wants to miss out on a meal I never get the chance to cook, let him. His loss."

"I know!" Usopp said, "I mean, how often do we have rabbit stew?"

~OWARI

…

Oh, I had SO much fun writing this! XD Poor Zoro. He'll never look at a rabbit the same way again!


	4. Likeness

**Title: **Likeness

**Theme: **Set 2 - #4: Candle

**Claim: **Zoro

**Words: **1,004

**Rating: **PG-13 (But only for some swearing)

**Warnings: **ZoXRo if you reeeeally want it to be. Like, REALLY want it to be.

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing of One Piece!

…

Zoro grunted slightly from his hammock as a pair of hands started to nudge him awake. Robin's shift must have ended, he figured as his eyes slowly started to bat open. No one else was stupid enough to wake up the swordsman before it was light out. Besides, the hands disappeared in a flurry of flowers almost as soon as they came.

Zoro stifled a loud yawn as to not wake up his crewmates and gave his arms a good stretch before hopping (give or take. It was early, he was tired) out of his hammock. After securing his swords to his haramaki, the swordsman grudgingly walked out of the men's quarters and out onto the open deck.

He automatically gazed up at his training room (the crow's nest) and frowned only slightly when he saw a flicker of light dancing around in one of the windows.

_It's probably that woman_, he thought.

Zoro climbed up to his room, and was only semi-surprised when he saw Robin sitting down in a chair by a window, the flame of a candle lighting up the page of the book she was currently reading.

She smiled at him as he opened the hatch, "Good morning Swordsman-san."

He grunted as he closed the hatch behind him, standing up and stretching out one more time, "It doesn't really seem like morning yet, does it?"

She giggled, "No, I suppose not. But it technically still is."

"Yeah, I know…" He glanced up in her direction after eying over what weights he wanted to use in particular this morning, "What are you still doing up anyway?"

"I've found that this book is rather interesting. I find it hard to put down," The archaeologist said smoothly, holding up her book a little as if to verify to Zoro that she was reading, "Is it alright with you if I stay up here for a while, Swordsman-san?"

Zoro shrugged, "Yeah, I don't care."

Robin smiled wider and dipped her head a little, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," The swordsman said, turning his back to her and appraising his weights one more time before deciding to go a little bit lighter and use a pair of dumbbells.

Everyone else besides him and Robin was still sleeping anyway. The last thing he wanted was for the cook to be on his ass about waking everyone up with his 'shitty weights.' He never liked to listen to the man's rants too early in the day. It put him in a bad mood.

It took him a minute, after he had started to do some fast reps with the dumbbells, to realize that Robin had taken to staring at him. He paused shortly after he reached 100 to give her a questioning look.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head, "Not at all," Her eyes went down to his weights shortly, "How much do each of those weigh, Swordsman-san?"

"Huh?" Zoro was caught off-guard by her question, but decided to answer all the same. He had to take a quick glance at the objects to find the weight printed on them. Admittedly, Zoro never thought much about his smaller weights, "230 kilograms."

Robin only looked mildly surprised, but smiled in admiration all the same, "That's quite a bit of weight."

Zoro scoffed, "Nah, not really… I have ones that are much heavier. But it's early and the crew is all still asleep."

"How very considerate of you," Robin's smile widened.

Zoro shrugged and looked away momentarily, as if he didn't want anyone knowing that he was trying to be nice, "They'll be pissed at me if I wake them up."

Robin giggled, "Yes, that's true too," She had been around the StrawHats long enough to know that their patience was short when it came to being waken up in the morning unnecessarily. Brooke never got watch shifts close to dawn for that reason. Then again, she also knew by now that Zoro had his gentle moments. They may have been simple gestures, but they mattered. At least, to Robin they did.

Zoro did a lot of things that he probably should get praise for, but never did; from those small things to offering his head for Luffy's. No one ever seemed to thank him for what he did. And while she knew he probably preferred it that way, Robin still felt like she owed him something.

"Swordsman-san?"

"Hm?" He took another break from his weights as he hit 200 reps and spared a look at her.

She smiled warmly at him, "Thank you."

He looked genuinely confused, "For what?"

She shrugged, "For everything. For being there when the crew needs you."

A vision of tears running down Robin's face entered the swordsman's mind, and he frowned, "If you're talking about Enies Lobby-"

"That would be one of the times," She said, "You helped to save my life. I should at least thank you for that, should I not?"

"No," He acted like it was an obvious question, "You don't have to thank me for anything like that."

"And why's that? It seems that-"

"Because we're Nakama, that's why."

Robin's allowed herself to be a little surprised before a smile made its way back to her face, "… Of course," She laughed, "How foolish of me not to know that."

He looked her straight in the eyes for the first time that night, "Just don't ever think about leaving again, you got it?"

Robin nodded slowly, "Never again."

He sometimes baffled the archaeologist.

Only a few months ago, Zoro wouldn't even look at her in the eyes. The distrust he held for their new 'Nakama' wasn't a secret. But now, Robin could see a familiar warmth in his eyes that really…

Reflected the light of the candle by her side.

The candle was a warm and inviting thing, and it drew people towards it. At the same time, those who were foolish enough to mess around with it ended up getting burned.

Just like Zoro.

…

Mahh, not TOO proud of this one. But it left me feeling warm and fluffy at the end, so I guess that's okay. ^^

Robin and Zoro's Nakamaship doesn't really get very much attention, and I wanted to do something based off of what she thinks of him. (This is post Thriller Bark, if you couldn't figure that out already)

But now I'm totally stumped on what to do for the next challenge… It's giant. (I'm going in order) Lost! O.O If you have any ideas for me at all, please don't hesitate to tell me!


	5. A Brave Warrior of the Sea

**Title: **A Brave Warrior of the Sea

**Theme: **Set 2 - #5: Giant

**Claim: **Zoro

**Words: **920

**Rating: **PG

**Warnings: **Zoro/Usopp Nakamaship (But do you really need to be warned about that?)

**Disclaimers: **I will never own One Piece. Ever.

…

Usopp sat down on the steps of the Thousand Sunny, heaving a loud sigh of exhaustion. He, Chopper, and Luffy had been playing 'hide and go seek' all morning, and though it didn't seem like it could be that challenging on a boat, devil fruit powers always made things harder. It was both physically and mentally taxing to play any game with them.

He glanced up as he heard the familiar sound of swinging weights. It wasn't surprising to see Zoro throwing down said weights on the grassy deck in a steady fashion. Little beads of sweat showed on the swordsman's brow, though he never showed any sign of slowing down or being tired.

"_They probably weigh over 1000 pounds…_" Usopp thought with a shake of his head, "_Nah, probably more than that… Didn't I hear something about him lifting a house back in Alabasta?" _

As startled as that sounded, Usopp actually wasn't that surprised to hear that Zoro had been able to lift a whole building. He was already monstrously strong (Luffy would probably even have a hard time taking him down); the sniper could only imagine what it was like when he was having an adrenaline rush.

For some reason, an image of the giants Dorry and Broggy popped into Usopp's head; the jungle ground shaking under the weight of the two warriors clashing with fatal hits. One misplaced step and it would be all over. Usopp blinked as he took another look at the swordsman's determined face.

Zoro was kind of like a giant himself in some ways, now that he thought about it…

He fought honorably. Zoro refused to have anyone interfere with his fights or even help him when he needed it, because if that happened, it wouldn't be a true fight anymore.

He didn't hold back. Zoro never took pity on anyone. He fought with everything he had against every enemy, and he never underestimated anyone.

He never used cheap tricks. That was an unspeakable crime for a man like Roronoa Zoro. Using cheap tricks was the coward's way of doing things, and he wouldn't have any of that. He was definitely not a coward.

He never stabbed anyone in the back. Zoro once stated that scars on a back were a swordsman's shame, and Usopp never really thought much about it until now. But in all of his fights, the StrawHats' swordsman refused to stab anyone in the back. He would fight them head on, just like a proper honorable warrior.

He accepted defeat honorably. Usopp thought back to Zoro's terrifying encounter with Mihawk on the Baratie. Even after being cut down and having his dream practically mocked, the man turned to face the greatest swordsman in the world with a smirk on his face. He knew he was done, and he was going to accept it the way a true swordsman would.

Usopp let out a little breath of awe. Zoro really _was_ like a giant… He'd probably fit right in at Elbaf. Excluding the fact that he was a human, of course. Lost in his thoughts, it took Usopp a moment to realize that Zoro had stopped working out and was staring at him accusingly.

"… Something wrong, Usopp?"

"Huh?" Usopp blinked and sat up straighter. It took him a second before he put a hand behind his head with a nervous laugh, "N-No! It's nothing! Just, um…"

"What?" Zoro's voice began to take on an irritated tone.

"Do you think… I-I could train with you sometime?"

"Huh?" That certainly was an unexpected question.

"Yeah! I-I mean… I wouldn't be able to lift weights _that _heavy…" He mumbled under his breath, quickly glancing at the weights Zoro was currently holding, "But… If you have something lighter…"

"… You're serious."

"Yes," The sniper nodded resolutely, "I want to be stronger. So that I can protect everyone too!"

Zoro smiled to himself. Usopp was a lot like Chopper sometimes, though he had certainly matured a little since Water Seven… He could tell that the younger boy was sincere about his request though. He set his heavy weights down in a corner where no one would trip over them and then started walking to the mast of the Sunny, his back to Usopp.

"… Z-Zoro?" Usopp asked in a quieter voice, afraid that the man hadn't been taking him seriously.

Suddenly the swordsman stopped and looked over his shoulder, "Well? Are you coming?"

Usopp looked at him confusedly. Zoro elaborated, "I don't think I have anything that I could really start you out with in terms of weights. But I can show you a few exercises that will really help build up strength fast. We need to do it up in the Crow's Nest though; more room."

Usopp's face lit up, "Alright!" He leapt up from his spot on the steps and jogged up to Zoro, following behind the man loyally.

Usopp had always somewhat regretted not being as strong as the giants that he looked up to so much. He had promised that he'd become like them, but really, how far had he gotten? Back in Water Seven, he had lost a lot of hope. He was sure he could never become a strong warrior like the giants because he had no one to teach him. But… Just maybe…

Maybe that was why Usopp had always looked up to Zoro so much. Because he was willing to help him.

After all, a boy needed his big brother to help him with some things.

…

This one ending up being kind of like 'candle', but I didn't think it was exactly the same. Besides, there's definitely not enough Zoro/Usopp Nakamaship to go around. Definitely not. Is it sad to anyone else that there's more yaoi of them then there is friendship?

Next up: perfume (It's a fun one! :P)


	6. Wake Up Call

**Title: **Wake-Up Call

**Theme: **Set 2 - #6: Perfume

**Claim: **Zoro

**Words: **1361

**Rating: **PG-13 (For some choice words by Zoro and Nami XP)

**Warnings: **This is most definitely not ZoNa. I mean… It could be if you were real desperate for it, but nah… This is mostly just comedic torture of our favorite swordsman. XD

**Disclaimers: **I don't own One Piece (If I did, I would make the current manga happier!)

…

Zoro shut out the noises of his loud crewmates as they got up in the morning, burrowing even deeper into his hammock to try and salvage the sleep that he had lost the previous night.

For some reason, he hadn't been able to sleep at all the previous night. Usually it wasn't a problem for the swordsman, but it definitely got in the way then. He kept on waking up, and it drove him crazy. There was no way he got enough sleep, so he'd be damned if he got up at their normal early hour.

Of course, the crew wouldn't hear of that. At least, a few of them wouldn't.

About twenty minutes after the men of the crew had left the quarters, Zoro found himself slowly drifting off. Just as his heavy eyelids were about to close all the way, an unmistakably loud voice jerked him back to consciousness.

"Zoro! Get your lazy ass out of bed already!"

The witch. Zoro scowled, keeping his eyes firmly shut. He refused to give in to the Navigator's shouts. Maybe on a normal day her yelling would spur on a reaction, but not today. When Zoro didn't get any sleep, he got cranky. And when Zoro was cranky, he didn't listen to what anyone told him. (More than usual, that is. Least of all the money-hungry witch now stomping into the men's quarters.

He could tell when Nami was right by his hammock, "Hurry up, you idiot! We can't eat until everyone's in the kitchen, and the longer YOU make us wait, the longer Luffy will keep pouting!" Having to listen to the StrawHat Captain moan and complain of starvation was never fun.

"Lemme alone, witch," The swordsman snarled, twisting himself around so that his back was to her.

Nami sputtered. Was he _really _doing this? She put her hands on her hips, "Get up, damn it!"

"No," He snarled back.

Nami's teeth curled up in a snarl almost as vicious as his had been, "If you don't get up yourself, I'll _make _you," The words were said through gritted teeth.

Zoro spared one icy glare back at the Navigator, "Go ahead and try."

A spark of determination jumped up into Nami's eyes. Her next words were said carefully, "If you don't get up right now, I'll raise your debt by a hundred thousand." She was in no mood to put up with Luffy's whining so early in the morning.

"Go ahead. If it'll make you go away and stop bitching at me," The swordsman said stiffly. Normally, the debt threat would've made him jump up in his hammock. But not today.

The navigator looked shocked. It was the first time Zoro had ever not given in to a berry threat. Usually he was so sensitive about that, the mere mention of the word 'berry' sent him into a frenzy. Her fists clenched as she lowered them back to her sides, and after a minute of mulling over her options, a grim look came upon her face.

Should she try physically shoving him out of his hammock? Nah, knowing Zoro, he'd probably just grab his blanket and make a nest on the floor, falling back asleep in seconds. A shove from her probably wouldn't even faze him anyway… An idea clicked in her head.

"… I'm giving you one last chance to get the hell up now Zoro," She said slowly, "If you don't, I'm going to have to go extreme."

Zoro responded by burrowing deeper into his hammock. His brow furrowed angrily, "I told you no, witch, and I meant _no. _Do whatever the hell you want; I'm not getting up."

There was a loud huff of breath before Nami stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Zoro smirked to himself victoriously. Finally, she was gone! Now he could sleep in peace… However, after only a few minutes, the door to the men's quarters opened and closed again.

Zoro's brow furrowed once again. What now? Was she back? He thought she left! "_Damn, what a pain…_" He thought tiredly. He was determined, though, that he could take whatever the wench would dish out. This was simply a matter of who the stronger will belonged to.

His eyes weren't open, but even then he could tell that Nami was very close this time. Also, she had walked over to the other side of the hammock so she was facing him. Zoro closed his eyes even tighter for good measure.

"One… Last… Chance…" Nami grounded out, sounding like she was about ready to shoot the man.

"No way in hell," Zoro replied, almost as slow.

Suddenly, a small 'spritz' noise went off and he felt an unbearably stinging and smelly wave of pain hit him right in the face.

"SHIT!" He yelled as he jerked backward violently, falling headfirst to the floor under him. He grabbed his face, cursing wildly, and had to cough a few times to get the horrible taste to leave his mouth. His eyes burned like hell even though they weren't even open when Nami did whatever it was that she did.

It took him a minute for the pain on his face to subdue enough to where he could open his eyes. Zoro sent the most menacing glare he could muster up to the face of his assailant, who was smirking in grim victory. He noticed that she was holding up a small cylindrical bottle.

"I warned you," The navigator said in that sweet, mocking, evil voice that she always used when they were talking about money.

It hit Zoro like an anvil. Perfume. That damn witch sprayed PERFUME right in his face! He took a quick sniff of the air around him and almost had to recoil at the potent mikan smell. Of course it was mikans.

"This is my favorite kind, too!" Nami continued happily, "You should consider yourself lucky that I actually wasted some of it on a louse like you."

"You damn wench!" Zoro yelled, bolting up to his feet, "I don't get up when you tell me to, so you spray perfume in my face?"

"Yup!" Nami laughed, walking around the hammock and patting Zoro on the shoulder once, "And look how well it worked! I'd say you're up and ready to go!"

Zoro couldn't do much else besides stand there seething with rage. It took him a second to realize that now he was supposed to go down to the galley where everyone was while smelling like mikans. When he did realize it, he paled a shade or two.

Suddenly the door was opened, and a certain chef stepped inside, "Nami-san, is the shithead up yet?"

"Yup! He just got up!" Nami walked gleefully out of the men's quarters, Sanji holding the door open for her in his usual chivalrous way. Somehow causing Zoro grief made her very happy.

Zoro finally trudged out after her, waves of anger practically rolling off of him. Sanji sniffed the air as Zoro passed, and his visible eyebrow raised up in confusion. He turned towards the swordsman.

"Oi, Marimo… Why do you smell… Fruity?"

Zoro froze in his spot. A dark scarlet color was quickly washing over his cheeks. How did one go about answering that question without killing anyone? He turned to yell at the cook, but was stopped by a disbelieving yet extremely enthused face. A wily sparkle lit up Sanji's eye as realization set in.

"Are you… Are you wearing _perfume?_" Sanji had to choke back a laugh as he asked the question.

However, as Zoro's only response was a deepening blush and a "SHUT THE HELL UP, SHITTY COOK!" Sanji's laugh was let loose in a howl similar to that of a hyena's. Between the laughs were several new insults like "fruitcake", that the swordsman feared wouldn't be forgotten anytime soon.

Zoro stormed off to the bathroom as fast as he could, desperately wanting to wipe away the smell and the humiliation. Sanji's laugh bounced off every corner of the Sunny, and he couldn't escape it even when he closed himself into the bathroom.

_Damn you to hell, Nami… _

…...

A/N: Ahh, poor Zoro! I am SO very mean to him! XD But my goodness, was this fun to write! I was having the hardest time with this particular theme, and just got this idea earlier today, so I'm quite happy with having it done at all.

'_Sanji's laugh was let loose in a howl similar to that of a hyena's.' _

On Thriller Bark, Sanji makes fun of Zoro for what he says after being taken down by Perona's negative ghosts. The laugh that he does during that made almost made me convulse, it was so funny! Sanji, in my opinion, sounded just like a hyena. (Or a Mexican jumping bean. "Ai-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai!") I do wonder if I'm the only one who thought that though. XP

Next up: Art.


	7. Simple for the Simple

**Title: **Simple for the Simple

**Theme: **Set 2 - #7: Art

**Claim: **Zoro

**Words: **853

**Rating: **PG

**Warnings: **None! That is, if you need to be warned about Zoro being awesome. XP

**Disclaimers:** One Piece belongs to the almighty Eiichiro Oda-san.

…

"Whatcha doin' Usopp?"

"Nothing… Go away Luffy."

"I just wanna see!"

Zoro, who was contentedly polishing Wadou, closed his eyes and allowed a scowl to settle on his face. He was going to ignore those two idiots. He was going to stop himself from yelling at them and pretend like he couldn't hear a word, because the last time the two of them had a conversation like that, the swordsman ended up catching on fire.

"Ooh, it's a picture!"

"Yeah…" Usopp said in defeat. He knew he couldn't keep it away from Luffy for long.

"Aww, it's just of some girl?" The rubber Captain seemed disappointed.

Usopp sputtered, "Some girl! It's not just some girl! It's Kaya!"

Luffy flopped down to his back on the deck, "But why can't it be an awesome picture?"

"_Excuse _me?" Usopp asked defensively.

"Yeah!" Luffy shot back up almost as quickly as he went down, "Like a battle or an explosion or something!"

Zoro scoffed from his spot by the railing. Of course Luffy would even be interested in _pictures_ of explosions. Anything bright and shiny and their Captain would be there in two seconds, drooling over it.

"Keh," Usopp smirked, "Just a battle? Just an explosion? Foolish man! Captain Usopp never draws _just _anything! He draws HUGE explosions! EPIC battles! He paints the history of mankind with just his pencil and his heart!"

"Whooooa…" Luffy watched the sniper with a child-like gleam in his eye. Zoro was vaguely reminded of Sogeking, "Draw one now! Draw one now!"

Usopp looked surprised for a millisecond before regaining his composure, "You wish for me to draw one of these amazing scenes now? Very well! I shall! What would you like me to draw?"

"A huge epic battle with huge epic explosions!" Luffy blurted out excitedly. He didn't even have to think about that one.

"Very well!" Usopp snatched up another piece of paper and looked over it thoughtfully for a moment, "No! It needs to be bigger!"

He quickly got up and ran into Nami's 'office' for a minute. After a stifled yell, he came scrambling back out to the deck, mumbling something about 'the sacrifices I make for art'. Luffy's eyes sparkled again when he caught sight of the huge piece of paper that Usopp was holding.

"Yeah!" He cried out happily, clenching his fists in anticipation.

Usopp cleared his throat, "So! I will hereby commence drawing of the huge epic battle with huge epic explosions!" Another holler from Luffy, and Usopp was off.

Five minutes went by…

"Usoooopp…" Luffy was lying down on the deck again, a pitiful look on his face, "Why is it taking so looong?"

"It's only been a few minutes Luffy!" The sniper insisted, "You can't rush a picture of this caliber! It'll take a while longer!"

"But I want a cool picture now!" The rubber boy insisted in a pout.

"Well too bad! You're gonna have to wait!"

Luffy continued to whine on the deck of the Merry for a few more minutes. That was all it took to drive Zoro crazy. He sat Wadou down angrily and was about to go wring the life out of the annoying kid's neck, when suddenly a better idea came to him. He put a hand to his chin in thought for a moment before a smile crossed his face.

"Hey, Usopp…" He addressed the man from his spot by the railing.

"Yeah?" Usopp answered.

"Could I… Borrow a piece of paper and a pencil?"

"Huh?" That question REALLY threw him off-guard. Zoro? Drawing? Since when did that happen? He didn't think the swordsman was big about art… "Uh… Sure. Here," He tossed a pencil and slid a piece of paper over to the green-haired man nervously.

"Are _you_ gonna draw something, Zoro?" Luffy asked, looking at Zoro upside-down from his spot on the deck.

"Yup," The man answered simply. He calmly began to draw, leaving both Usopp and Luffy in a stupor of sorts. This was so weird. Why was Zoro drawing?

After only a few seconds, the man held it out to Luffy, "It's for me?" The Captain asked, almost like he was honored.

"Sure is," He leaned back in his spot by the railing once Luffy had the paper in his hands.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Usopp looked over Luffy's shoulder at the drawing in his hands. He raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Uh… Zoro?" On the piece of paper were two parallel lines drawn at an angle.

"It's a beam," The man answered simply.

Luffy's eyes lit up with an energy that far surpassed that given for Usopp's drawing, "WHOOOOA!" He gaped, laughing hysterically, "IT'S SO COOL! A BEAM! I have to go show Chopper!" He looked up at the swordsman once before speeding off to the Medical Bay, "Thanks Zoro!"

Usopp was left standing there with his mouth open. Zoro chuckled, "Looks like you've still got a little bit more to understand about our Captain, Usopp… The simpler it is, the more Luffy will like it."

With a satisfied grin, Zoro picked up his Wadou again. Now, where was he…

…

Gah! I've been dead for so long! O.O I apologize for not uploading this way, way sooner, but I had the hardest time thinking of what to do with this theme… Going in order is really hard for me. I'm pretty pitiful too; still on the 8th theme of the 2nd set. XP Wow… Next is witch… I'm pretty sure it's obvious what I'm going to do with that one!


	8. Safe

**Title: **Safe

**Theme: **Set 2 - #8: Witch

**Claim: **Zoro

**Words: **795

**Rating: **PG

**Warnings: **Zoro/Nami Nakamaship! But do you really need to be warned of such of a thing? :D

**Disclaimers: **I will never own One Piece! I'm just a lowly fan. XP

"Island dead ahead!" The fateful call was made by the StrawHat's resident cook, his voice being heard clearly in every corner of the Going Merry.

In particular, the message was received the loudest by a certain raven-haired boy who was currently watching over a sick crewmate with his First Mate close by. His face lit up immediately as Sanji's voice was heard.

"Are you serious!" A trademark grin spread from ear to ear as he turned to the young Navigator currently bed-ridden. His foot started tapping impatiently on the floor below it, "Oh, an island! We found an island! Hey Nami, did you hear that? That means we can get you to a real Doctor! He'll fix you up! Wake up! Wake… Up! Wake… Up! Wake.. Up! Wake. Up!" With each 'wake up', the Captain's foot-tapping grew ever-faster, until he was practically making the floor shake. Finally Zoro gave.

"Just go Luffy. I've got her covered."

The simple phrase was enough to get the boy vaulting out the door, shouting gleefully as he caught his first glimpse of the winter island ahead of them. As the door closed behind Luffy, and his shouts became somewhat muted, a small sigh was heard from beneath the bed's heavy sheets.

"Jeez, finally… I thought he'd never leave…" The Navigator's voice was slightly hoarse, and very tired-sounding.

Zoro smirked from his spot leaning against the bookshelf, arms crossed, "I thought he might be getting on your nerves."

Nami gave an annoyed yet broken chuckle, "That's a bit of an understatement. I don't think he realizes that not everyone has as much energy as he does…"

She suddenly broke out into a ragged coughing fit that lasted much longer than Zoro thought it should have. He instinctively opened his eyes and cast a perplexed expression down her way. Nami's head was mostly buried under the thick covers, but the swordsman could still see how the covers themselves shook under the intensity of the coughs.

After what seemed like ages, the orange-haired girl's fit began to subside, and she took a few wheezing breaths. Zoro's anxious expression didn't falter much.

"… You alright?"

"Yeah…" She breathed shakily, "Just a little coughing fit; nothing too serious…" Nami pulled the covers down from over her head and held her head with one hand, "Damn it…" She mumbled angrily. Suddenly she began to sit up, making Zoro's brow furrow even more, "We can't be wasting so much time… We have to get to Alabasta… I can't… Slow us down… Vivi needs to get back…" Suddenly a warm hand was on her shoulder, "Huh?" She looked up confusedly to see Zoro standing there, his eyes closed and face set in an obvious frown, "… Zoro?"

"You talk too much, witch," He muttered agitatedly, gently giving her shoulder a push. Because of her condition, the light push was able to make her fall back to her pillow effortlessly. She blinked in surprise.

"… But I-"

"Have you even noticed how calm the rest of the crew is?" The swordsman started, "None of them are as jittery about getting to Alabasta as you are. Even Vivi is more than willing to take this detour for you. And if the princess of the country that is about to collapse isn't worried, then you damn well shouldn't be either."

Nami blinked in surprise again. Zoro continued:

"It's not helping your condition to carry the burden of a whole country on your shoulders anyway. So just relax, and worry about yourself for once," He turned away momentarily and added under his breath, "We're all tired of doing it for you…"

"Zoro…" The Navigator muttered in awe, amazed at what had just come out of the man's mouth. Images of all the heated arguments they had flashed through her head, and she shortly wondered if she was dealing with the same person.

"You got that?" He said, giving her a scrutinizing look.

She smiled slowly, then nodded, "Yeah, alright… I get it."

"Good," He mumbled before sitting on the chair that Luffy once occupied.

"_I see…" _

"… Hey Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

He scoffed off her thanks, "Got nothing to thank me for."

She chuckled lightly, "… Guess not…"

"_I see…"_

"… Zoro?"

"Hm?"

Her smiled grew before she closed her eyes again, settling back down into her pillow peacefully, "'Night."

She could practically feel his hesitant smirk, "Sleep tight, witch."

"_I see…" _The thought repeated in her head, "_So this is why he's First Mate." _

After a few moments, Nami suddenly felt the covers being pulled up to her chin. She couldn't even try to hide the contented smile that spread across her face. This was one of those limited times where she felt really, truly…

Safe.

"_Idiot…" _

…...

Aww, the fluff! . This was one of those pieces that left me with warm fuzzies after I finished it. I was actually pretty satisfied with how it turned out!

I feel, personally, that Zoro/Nami Nakamaship is SUPER hard to come by these days. : ( There's definitely more romance stories with them then there are friendship and, like the Zoro/Usopp situation, it makes me sad! So, this particular theme was absolutely perfect for some Zoro/Nami Nakamaship action! :D

The beginning of this little ficlet is an actual scene from the show, if you all don't remember! It's when Sanji first spots Drum Island on the horizon way back when Nami was sick. (I actually pulled the beginning dialogue with Luffy from the Funimation dub of the episode; it is SO amazing! I love Funimation for bringing back One Piece to America after 4Kids killed it!) It never shows what happens when Luffy leaves the room, so I just took my own spin on it!

Hope you all enjoyed! :3

Next up: Rivalry. (I think we ALL know who's going to star in that one with Zoro! ;) )


End file.
